Public education is an enormous system run by adults for the benefit of children.

Students generally don't have much say in their education. It doesn't have to be that way.

This lesson explores some of the ways that school systems can meaningfully incorporate student voice in the operation of schools and school systems. Pictured above: Lesly Avila, the 2026-27 student member of the board of Los Angeles Unified School District.

What is Student Voice?

At its simplest, student voice in a school setting means that adults intentionally listen to students and take what they hear seriously.

At its best, student voice becomes student leadership. It connotes genuine student influence, especially in matters of importance.

This doesn't happen automatically. If it isn't someone's job to develop student leadership, it probably won't happen. Student leaders sometimes arise organically, but that's not a plan. Some schools consistently mint student leaders, year after year, because they create the conditions for leaders to develop. This post explains some of the basics about student leadership in California schools, including programs and organizations that can help.

What are School Site Councils and how are students involved?

In the Ed100 blog
How do school site councils work?

For students in high schools and middle schools, the most widely available way to play an official role in the education system is to serve on their school site council, a committee of teachers, parents, students, and school staff. The site council is directly involved in developing the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Generally, the site council works with the school principal or another designated administrator to support the operation and improvement of the school. Specific responsibilities vary depending on how the principal uses the group.

Meetings, commonly held each month, must be announced at least 72 hours in advance in a way that allows anyone to attend. In many high schools, the site council is the best-kept secret for ambitious 9th-graders who want to advance to positions of responsibility. Elections for school site councils are typically held at the beginning or end of the school year. Depending on the timing, 9th graders may be excluded.

What is Student Government?

Student government is a classic "sandbox" for students to develop leadership skills and experience. In many schools it is a small sandbox, with few expectations or opportunities, little or no faculty support, and no money to work with.

Under California law (the Education Code), student governments in public schools may raise money and, with oversight, decide how to spend it. These school-based student leadership groups are often called Associated Student Body organizations, or ASBs. Students involved in these organizations have opportunities to develop a variety of skills, including fundraising, planning, budgeting, and communication. FCMAT, an agency that helps county offices of education protect districts from unwittingly taking on financial risks, updated its financial guidance for ASBs in 2025.

ASB funds, where they exist, are often used to provide equipment for activities and school-wide events such as dances, rallies, or performances. Well-run ASBs prepare a budget detailing planned fundraisers, how much the fundraisers will cost to execute, and plans for what to do if there is either a surplus or shortfall. After the budget is approved by the students, an advisor, and the student council, the school district’s business office must also approve it.

Formally, there are two types of ASBs: unorganized and organized. In unorganized ASBs, students don’t actually govern, at least when it comes to matters of money. Students are usually involved in fundraising, but the school administration typically oversees funds.

In rare cases, it is possible and legal for well-funded student councils to take the step of becoming organized ASBs, which are non-profit entities largely independent from their school district. Subject to their by-laws, the students directly make the decisions, including planning, fundraising, and spending. Adult supervision is required through school administration, club advisor(s), and someone designated as the ASB bookkeeper, who assists and co-approves decisions.

How are students involved in PTAs and PTOs?

Parent organizations (PTAs, if affiliated with the state PTA, otherwise PTOs) are associated with schools or groups of schools. Most PTA organizations that serve high school grades designate themselves as PTSAs, adding the letter S to reflect that their bylaws include some kind of formal leadership role for students. The details can vary a lot. Students in California PTA-affiliated organizations are eligible to hold any leadership office.

How can students improve their own schools?

Students have a lot to say about their schools. Confident teachers and school leaders take time to solicit open-ended feedback from students. Some schools and districts collect information about student perceptions and experiences to build a strong school climate, as described in Ed100 lesson 5.10. Results from the California Healthy Kids Survey can provide insights into how different groups of young people see their school experiences.

Rare schools, with care and seriousness, involve students in work that they are uniquely qualified to do: helping teachers improve by providing evaluative feedback. As Ed100 Lesson 3.9 explains, some states require student feedback as an element of teacher evaluations. California is not among them.

How can students lead in school districts?

California school boards in districts with high school students are required to include a student member… but only if high school students petition for it.

As explained in Ed100 Lesson 7.3, school districts hold a great deal of power in California's education system. Students tend to underestimate their potential influence. Every year, each district must develop a three-year plan (the LCAP) with local feedback. Students can have significant influence by speaking up in that open process. If you want something to change, change the plan!

Since 1976, California law has required school districts to include a student member on their board, if petitioned by just 500 high-school students or 10% of the district’s high-school enrollment, whichever is less. The bill that led to this change passed with little opposition, but in many school districts, such a petition still has not been completed.

You can learn more about the process on Ed100, including where to find sample wording for a petition to add a student representative. Most school boards specify their policy for student representation as Policy 9150, following the guidance of the California School Board Association's GAMUT system.

How many California school boards have a student member? No one knows, because data has not been collected. (In 2026 Ed100 started the process with a study of the ten districts with the most high school students. All of them had student reps, but few provided a way to contact them. Want to help with the research? Contact us.)

Student members of school district boards in California serve in an advisory capacity — they can influence board decisions, speak in meetings, and receive board materials. School districts that have a student member are generally expected to record student preferential votes in their minutes, but school boards are not required to list their student members on their web page. As of 2026, a district may compensate its pupil members financially and/or award elective course credit, a powerful signal that this kind of service isn't just an honor — it's real.

Students may also serve as advisory members of the state's 58 county boards of education, with similar requirements. (Example: Contra Costa County.) As of 2026 many county boards of education have not yet received a petition with the 500 signatures necessary to establish student representation.

State law requires public transparency about the identity and contact information of school board members, but most public board rosters omit this information for their student members. This has made it difficult for students to connect with their board representatives and for student leaders to connect with one another.

The National Student Board Members Association (NSBMA) aims to connect student members of school boards as well as other boards. It offers training and other opportunities for student members of boards to learn from one another.

How can students influence policy change in California?

Several organizations help California students play roles in state-level education policy settings. Here are a few:

GENup, a student-run organization for students in high school and college, involves students in advocacy work through a network of local student-led chapters. Where there isn't an existing chapter, the organization welcomes students to form one. Almost all of its statewide or regional meetings and activities are held online except local chapter actions.

CASC The California Association of Student Councils, a student-led youth leadership organization for high school students, organizes conferences and programs that prepare students to present proposals to lawmakers and to the State Board of Education. The most important are the SABE and SABLE conferences.

ACLU of Southern California provides in-person training for students through Youth Liberty Squad, a selective program. Applications tend to be due in mid-September each year.

More opportunities for formal student leadership exist, especially at the local level. Ask the office of your state Assembly member or your representative in Congress. Ask the president of your school's PTA.

The State Board of Education

The State Board of Education includes a voting student member appointed by the Governor. Apply by the September deadline of your junior year.

At the state level, California incorporates student voice in a rare and authentic way: One seat on the State Board of Education is reserved for a student member. The student position was created in 1969, and in 1983 it became a full voting position, in every respect equal to the other members of the board.

Ed100 maintains a history of student members of the state board of education. Some other states include students as members of their state board of education or as advisors, as shown in the map below:

What is the Seal of Civic Engagement?

In the Ed100 blog
What is the Seal of Civic Engagement?

California was the first state to officially recognize students for their contributions with a Seal of Civic Engagement on their high school diploma. In this post on the Ed100 blog, Hana Fujita explains the program, including a useful video from Dr. Marika Manos, who oversaw administration of the Seal in Orange County. The seal is a state program, but it requires an active contact in each school.

Can students vote?

In the Ed100 blog
Learning to vote

In California, citizens can vote at age 18, but students can pre-register at age 16 to vote when they turn 18. This program has helped boost youth turnout in elections, but California youth participation in elections tends to be unremarkable relative to other states. There are many ways for students to get involved in the democratic process, even before they can vote. See our blog post about it. (We argue that California's habit of relying on DMVs for identification is unnecessary and undermines youth participation in democracy.).

How has Ed100 supported student leadership?

Student leaders are very important to Ed100, not least because the founder of Ed100, Jeff Camp, developed his interest in education policy as an active student leader in high school. Students deserve to be heard, but they owe it to their community to do their homework. Ed100 is the best available learning material for students to learn what they need to know to belong in the room where it happens.

In the Ed100 blog
Remembering the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders

During the Pandemic years of 2020, 2021 and 2022, Ed100 organized a virtual summer conference involving hundreds of student leaders from all over California. In 2023, we transitioned the program to Children Now as the Summit for Student Leaders, which was held in the summers of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Learn more about it here.

This post was last updated August 2026.